Highest paying jobs in education
Whether you picture hard-working teachers buying school supplies for their students or genius professors shaping future leaders, it's fair to say education encompasses a wide variety of jobs. So much so that there's room to specialize and pursue your passion.
Historically, teachers' pay is a rather contentious topic, especially after the appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. Her first year had many controversial moments that left the future of education in America uncertain. In fact, the median annual salary across all teaching professions is $57,949—about $3,000 below the median annual salary of all working professionals with a bachelor's degree or higher. Consequently, strikes erupted in states like Arizona and Oklahoma, which put this issue of low wages in the spotlight.
Despite this, many of these jobs are rewarding in more ways than one. In other words, education can be very lucrative—particularly within specialty fields.
Stacker looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to round up a list, ranked from lowest to highest, of the highest-paying jobs in education. Major, minor and broad occupation groups were excluded from the data, leaving only detail-level groups. Additionally, the median annual wage, number of employees at each job in 2017 and the BLS description for each job is provided.
Read on to take a look at the highest paying jobs in education.
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#64. Teacher Assistants
Median annual wage: $26,260
Employment: 1,299,800
Description: Perform duties that are instructional in nature or deliver direct services to students or parents. Serve in a position for which a teacher has ultimate responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.
#63. Substitute Teachers
Median annual wage: $28,270
Employment: 611,310
Description: Teach students in a public or private school when the regular teacher is unavailable.
#62. Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Median annual wage: $28,990
Employment: 409,740
Description: Instruct preschool-aged children in activities designed to promote social, physical and intellectual growth needed for primary school in preschool, day care center or other child development facility. May be required to hold State certification.
#61. Graduate Teaching Assistants
Median annual wage: $32,460
Employment: 136,820
Description: Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing teaching or teaching-related duties, such as teaching lower level courses, developing teaching materials, preparing and giving examinations and grading examinations or papers. Graduate teaching assistants must be enrolled in a graduate school program. Graduate assistants who primarily perform non-teaching duties, such as research, should be reported in the occupational category related to the work performed.
#60. Library Technicians
Median annual wage: $33,690
Employment: 90,030
Description: Assist librarians by helping readers in the use of library catalogs, databases and indexes to locate books and other materials; and by answering questions that require only brief consultation of standard reference. Compile records; sort and shelve books or other media; remove or repair damaged books or other media; register patrons and check materials in and out of the circulation process. Replace materials in shelving area (stacks) or files. Includes bookmobile drivers who assist with providing services in mobile libraries.
#59. Self-Enrichment Education Teachers
Median annual wage: $38,440
Employment: 238,710
Description: Teach or instruct courses other than those that normally lead to an occupational objective or degree. Courses may include self-improvement, nonvocational and nonacademic subjects. Teaching may or may not take place in a traditional educational institution.
#58. Teachers and Instructors, All Other, Except Substitute Teachers
Median annual wage: $39,710
Employment: 294,240
Description: All teachers and instructors not listed separately.
#57. Museum Technicians and Conservators
Median annual wage: $40,670
Employment: 12,290
Description: Restore, maintain or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, botanicals or artifacts, textiles or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.
#56. Education, Training, and Library Workers, All Other
Median annual wage: $43,140
Employment: 99,830
Description: All education, training and library workers not listed separately.
#55. Audio-Visual and Multimedia Collections Specialists
Median annual wage: $48,590
Employment: 10,430
Description: Prepare, plan and operate multimedia teaching aids for use in education. May record, catalogue and file materials.
#54. Farm and Home Management Advisors
Median annual wage: $49,510
Employment: 8,450
Description: Advise, instruct and assist individuals and families engaged in agriculture, agricultural-related processes or home economics activities. Demonstrate procedures and apply research findings to solve problems and instruct and train in product development, sales and the use of machinery and equipment to promote general welfare. Includes county agricultural agents, feed and farm management advisers, home economists and extension service advisors.
#53. Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $51,600
Employment: 114,020
Description: Teach or instruct vocational or occupational subjects at the postsecondary level (but at less than the baccalaureate) to students who have graduated or left high school. Includes correspondence school instructors; industrial, commercial and government training instructors and adult education teachers and instructors who prepare persons to operate industrial machinery and equipment and transportation and communications equipment. Teaching may take place in public or private schools whose primary business is education or in a school associated with an organization whose primary business is other than education.
#52. Archivists
Median annual wage: $51,760
Employment: 6,080
Description: Appraise, edit and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.
#51. Adult Basic and Secondary Education and Literacy Teachers and Instructors
Median annual wage: $52,100
Employment: 60,670
Description: Teach or instruct out-of-school youths and adults in remedial education classes, preparatory classes for the General Educational Development test, literacy or English as a Second Language. Teaching may or may not take place in a traditional educational institution.
#50. Special Education Teachers, Preschool
Median annual wage: $53,640
Employment: 28,540
Description: Teach preschool school subjects to educationally and physically handicapped students. Includes teachers who specialize and work with audibly and visually handicapped students and those who teach basic academic and life processes skills to the mentally impaired.
#49. Curators
Median annual wage: $53,770
Employment: 11,550
Description: Administer collections, such as artwork, collectibles, historic items or scientific specimens of museums or other institutions. May conduct instructional, research or public service activities of institution.
#48. Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
Median annual wage: $54,230
Employment: 140,660
Description: Teach elemental natural and social science, personal hygiene, music, art and literature to kindergarten students. Promote physical, mental and social development. May be required to hold State certification.
#47. Special Education Teachers, All Other
Median annual wage: $54,800
Employment: 37,980
Description: All special education teachers not listed separately.
#46. Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
Median annual wage: $57,160
Employment: 1,409,140
Description: Teach students basic academic, social and other formative skills in public or private schools at the elementary level.
#45. Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Median annual wage: $57,720
Employment: 622,340
Description: Teach students in one or more subjects in public or private schools at the middle, intermediate or junior high level, which falls between elementary and senior high school as defined by applicable laws and regulations.
#44. Librarians
Median annual wage: $58,520
Employment: 126,800
Description: Administer libraries and perform related library services. Work in a variety of settings, including public libraries, educational institutions, museums, corporations, government agencies, law firms, non-profit organizations and healthcare providers. Tasks may include selecting, acquiring, cataloguing, classifying, circulating and maintaining library materials; and furnishing reference, bibliographical and readers' advisory services. May perform in-depth, strategic research and synthesize, analyze, edit and filter information. May set up or work with databases and information systems to catalogue and access information.
#43. Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School
Median annual wage: $58,600
Employment: 184,920
Description: Teach elementary school subjects to educationally and physically handicapped students. Includes teachers who specialize and work with audibly and visually handicapped students and those who teach basic academic and life processes skills to the mentally impaired.
#42. Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School
Median annual wage: $58,630
Employment: 12,040
Description: Teach occupational, career and technical or vocational subjects in public or private schools at the middle, intermediate or junior high level, which falls between elementary and senior high school as defined by applicable laws and regulations.
#41. Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
Median annual wage: $58,660
Employment: 78,840
Description: Teach occupational, career and technical, or vocational subjects at the secondary school level in public or private schools.
#40. Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Median annual wage: $59,170
Employment: 1,027,230
Description: Teach students in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics or social studies at the secondary level in public or private schools. May be designated according to subject matter specialty.
#39. Special Education Teachers, Middle School
Median annual wage: $59,510
Employment: 87,550
Description: Teach middle school subjects to educationally and physically handicapped students. Includes teachers who specialize and work with audibly and visually handicapped students and those who teach basic academic and life processes skills to the mentally impaired.
#38. Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $60,150
Employment: 16,630
Description: Teach courses pertaining to recreation, leisure and fitness studies, including exercise physiology and facilities management. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#37. Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
Median annual wage: $60,180
Employment: 135,910
Description: Teach secondary school subjects to educationally and physically handicapped students. Includes teachers who specialize and work with audibly and visually handicapped students and those who teach basic academic and life processes skills to the mentally impaired.
#36. Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $60,400
Employment: 14,210
Description: Teach courses in criminal justice, corrections and law enforcement administration. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#35. Instructional Coordinators
Median annual wage: $63,750
Employment: 157,490
Description: Develop instructional material, coordinate educational content and incorporate current technology in specialized fields that provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. Includes educational consultants and specialists and instructional material directors.
#34. Education Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $64,020
Employment: 60,500
Description: Teach courses pertaining to education, such as counseling, curriculum, guidance, instruction, teacher education and teaching English as a second language. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#33. Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $64,370
Employment: 12,430
Description: Teach courses in social work. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#32. Postsecondary Teachers, All Other
Median annual wage: $64,480
Employment: 189,270
Description: All postsecondary teachers not listed separately.
#31. Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other
Median annual wage: $64,480
Employment: 16,580
Description: All postsecondary social sciences teachers not listed separately.
#30. English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $64,910
Employment: 69,140
Description: Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#29. Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $65,010
Employment: 27,240
Description: Teach languages and literature courses in languages other than English. Includes teachers of American Sign Language (ASL). Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#28. Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $66,510
Employment: 28,770
Description: Teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting and journalism. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#27. Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $66,930
Employment: 95,110
Description: Teach courses in drama, music and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#26. Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $69,590
Employment: 22,920
Description: Teach courses in philosophy, religion and theology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#25. Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $70,910
Employment: 50,870
Description: Teach courses pertaining to mathematical concepts, statistics and actuarial science and to the application of original and standardized mathematical techniques in solving specific problems and situations. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#24. Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $70,940
Employment: 5,010
Description: Teach courses in library science. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#23. Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $71,260
Employment: 55,580
Description: Demonstrate and teach patient care in classroom and clinical units to nursing students. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#22. Home Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $71,630
Employment: 2,580
Description: Teach courses in childcare, family relations, finance, nutrition and related subjects pertaining to home management. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#21. Area, Ethnic and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $72,230
Employment: 9,850
Description: Teach courses pertaining to the culture and development of an area, an ethnic group or any other group, such as Latin American studies, women's studies or urban affairs. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#20. History Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $72,690
Employment: 21,120
Description: Teach courses in human history and historiography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#19. Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $73,080
Employment: 13,630
Description: Teach courses in sociology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#18. Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $73,770
Employment: 37,090
Description: Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical and developmental psychology and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#17. Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $76,360
Employment: 5,990
Description: Teach courses in environmental science. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#16. Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $77,190
Employment: 21,090
Description: Teach courses pertaining to the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. Work may include instruction in the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#15. Geography Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $78,040
Employment: 3,980
Description: Teach courses in geography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#14. Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $78,240
Employment: 49,910
Description: Teach courses in biological sciences. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#13. Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $78,630
Employment: 32,230
Description: Teach courses in computer science. May specialize in a field of computer science, such as the design and function of computers or operations and research analysis. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#12. Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $80,050
Employment: 7,280
Description: Teach courses in architecture and architectural design, such as architectural environmental design, interior architecture/design and landscape architecture. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#11. Business Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $80,300
Employment: 84,340
Description: Teach courses in business administration and management, such as accounting, finance, human resources, labor and industrial relations, marketing and operations research. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#10. Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $81,430
Employment: 16,200
Description: Teach courses in political science, international affairs and international relations. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#9. Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $81,580
Employment: 5,770
Description: Teach courses in anthropology or archeology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#8. Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $86,140
Employment: 10,800
Description: Teach courses in the agricultural sciences. Includes teachers of agronomy, dairy sciences, fisheries management, horticultural sciences, poultry sciences, range management and agricultural soil conservation. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#7. Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $87,340
Employment: 13,710
Description: Teach courses pertaining to the laws of matter and energy. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#6. Atmospheric, Earth, Marine and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $87,380
Employment: 10,730
Description: Teach courses in the physical sciences, except chemistry and physics. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching, and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#5. Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $87,420
Employment: 2,000
Description: Teach courses in forestry and conservation science. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#4. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $97,870
Employment: 194,610
Description: Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy and veterinary medicine.
#3. Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $98,350
Employment: 12,770
Description: Teach courses in economics. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#2. Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $98,360
Employment: 37,500
Description: Teach courses pertaining to the application of physical laws and principles of engineering for the development of machines, materials, instruments, processes and services. Includes teachers of subjects such as chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, mineral and petroleum engineering. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
#1. Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Median annual wage: $104,910
Employment: 16,900
Description: Teach courses in law. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
